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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. file — a tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. file — a document
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — there
  8. can — to be able to
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com